Top 25 Under 25: Where's Commanders DE Chase Young?

The third-year defensive end is due for a big season in 2022.

Jeremy Brener | Jul 12, 2022

Almost as soon as Washington Commanders defensive end Chase Young entered the NFL, he was labeled as a future superstar in the league.

However, Young's not alone. With stars like Joe Burrow leading the Cincinnati Bengals to the Super Bowl and Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson shattering records, the NFL is in good hands for a long period of time.

The 33rd Team released their annual list on the best 25 players around the league under the age of 25.

Despite being the 2020 Defensive Rookie of the Year, Young failed to make the list.

Among the defensive linemen on the list were San Francisco 49ers star Nick Bosa, who ranked fifth, and Las Vegas Raiders pass rusher Maxx Crosby, who ranked 22nd.

Young's omission on the list likely has to do with his poor 2021 campaign, which ended in a torn ACL.

Before his injury, Young's play wasn't representative of what he displayed in his rookie season. He managed to record just 1.5 sacks and 21 tackles in nine games last season.

Young is entering a critical year as the Commanders will have a choice to make regarding his fifth-year option at season's end. If he underperforms for a second straight season, there will be serious consideration to decline the option.

He doesn't have to be the Defensive Player of the Year, but anything less than a career-high eight sacks and at least a couple of forced fumbles is going to leave a lot of questions hanging in the air for the Commanders and how to proceed with their former No. 2 overall pick.

Published Jul 12, 2022

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.